The perception of poverty and wealth among teenage university students

This study is concerned with the perception of poverty and wealth among teenage university students. Two hundred twenty students completed a questionnaire which probed their perceptions of the attributions and consequences of poverty and wealth, requested them to estimate the job prospects of a school leaver with and without a certificate qualification, and also requested that they estimate the income for both a specified "poor" and "rich" man. The students also provided information about their economic preferences, religious position, and family financial position. Results indicate that the sample emphasized the significance of the family and placed little weight on luck when dealing with poverty and wealth. The sample emphasized the economic consequences of poverty and wealth, and did not rate their psychological consequences as being of much importance. Certain groups within the sample showed some deviations in their perceptions. The most substantial group differences were between the capitalist-religious and socialist-religious groups.